"That guard was really nice," Madeleine said, walking back to her room with a cup of hot chocolate in her hands. Kumarie had one as well. It was probably getting close to two in the morning, but Madeleine hadn't been able to sleep, so she had gone down to the lobby. The guard who was on the night shift had greeted her and happily made her the drink she now had. She hoped he worked every night.
As she rounded the corner, she nearly ran into someone. She stumbled backwards. "Sorry!"
The girl who she had nearly hit also took a few steps back, making sure she didn't spill her coffee. "You're fine." She noticed who Madeleine was. "Isn't it a little late for you, Madeliene?"
Madeleine recognized the girl as another contestant. "Oh, hi Azura. I guess it is a little late, but I was having trouble sleeping."
Azura nodded. "I know the feeling. I drink so much coffee that I tend to stay up pretty late."
The two girls started walking back to their rooms. "So did you find a medallion?" Madeleine asked.
Azura nodded. "I did, but I won't be able to match it."
"That's a bummer." Madeleine tried to think of something else to say, but, to be honest, she found Azura to be pretty intimidating.
"It's nice that they improved security," Azura said.
Madeliene nodded. "I know. I don't want a repeat of what happened last time. And I like how nice the guards are."
"I've yet to find a bad worker here," Azura noted. "They must have really had a hard time getting such great staff."
Madeleine nodded. They had reached the hallway that had all of the contestants' rooms. Madeleine stopped in front of hers. "Well, this is my room. Guess I'll see you tomorrow."
Azura nodded. "Good luck. And sleep well." She continued down the hall, and Madeleine pulled out her card key and opened the door.
The rooms were really nice. They had a simple design, but everything was soft and homey. She put down her drink on the bedside table, but then felt a chill go down her back. She turned around, and her eyes widened.
Azura entered her room after leaving Madeleine, her face kind of hot. She hadn't really wanted to see anyone else after being at the Midnight Carbink, since it took literally every bit of social skill she had to tolerate Leon. She hadn't done a very good job at talking to the girl. She sighed. She didn't like being around other people. She wasn't good at it.
She was about to put her coffee down and try to go to bed when she heard something that woke her up far more than the coffee.
A high pitched scream came from the end of the hallway, where Madeleine's room was.
"Madeleine!" Azura yelled, sprinting out of the room. She ran as fast as she could down the hallway. Luckily Madeleine's door wasn't closed. She ran in to see a cloaked figure looming over the girl, who was being shielded the best she could by her teddiursa, Kumarie.
Pure fear and rage gripped her heart. The claws that had been hidden in her gauntlet slid out, and she sprung at the assailant. "Get away from her!"
The cloaked figure jumped away just barely before Azura swiped through the space he had just been in. He kicked open the window, and jumped out, Azura ran over to it, and saw him fly away on the back of a pokemon that she thought was a dragonite.
She sheathed her gauntlet's claws, and ran over to Madeleine. "Are you alright? Did he hurt you?"
She shook her head, tears starting to form. "He attacked me from behind. If Kumarie hadn't seen him..."
Azura did something that surprised even her. She grabbed Madeleine and pulled her into a hug. "It's okay. He's gone now."
Azura heard people running down the hall, and soon all of the contestants were there, most in pajamas of some sort. "We heard the scream," Leon said, looking horrified. "What happened?"
"Someone attacked Madeleine," Azura said.
"No," Mariana said, her eyes widening.
"Do you think they are the same people who kidnapped us?" Rhianne asked.
"Most likely," Azura said. She let go of Madeleine, and stood up. "Madeleine was one of the two that rescued us who were captured last time. They might have tried to stop her first because of this."
Madeleine took a shaky gasp, and started to cry. Mariana hurried forward and sat down next to her. Madeleine wrapped her arms around her and buried her head in her shoulder. Marcus grabbed the pokeball on the tv stand, and withdrew Kumarie.
Mason looked furious. "This can't be happening again. It isn't fair. And how dare they go for her first."
Azura heard more footsteps running towards them. "Heads up."
"Contestants!" Someone down the hallway yelled.
"We're in here," Leon yelled back.
A man with crimson red hair appeared in the doorway two guns in hand. He looked horrified. "Is everyone okay?"
Lucas recognized him as Terence. "Yeah, we're okay."
He sighed with relief, leaning against the doorframe. "Oh, thank goodness. I was checking on the security and then I heard the scream."
"Yeah, would you like to explain how someone got past your wonderful new security?" Azura said.
"There were three guards on duty," Terence said. "One was in the lobby, one was monitoring the security cameras, and one was in the halls a few floors down. I came to check on them, and see how things were going, but I found them all unconscious. They were drugged."
"Drugged? How?" Drake asked. "Did he give them drinks or something?"
Terence shook his head. "When I saw them, I immediately checked for a pulse. In doing so, I found a small hole in each of their necks, as though they were stabbed with a needle. He injected them with some kind of drug. And then he stole the master card key, which allowed him to get into the rooms."
Madeleine took her head out of Mariana's shoulder. "Wait, when he attacked me, I thought he had a knife." She was trying really hard to keep it together. "Though now that you mention it, it was too tiny. He must have been trying to drug me t-to." She took a shaky gasp, and put her head back in Mariana's shoulder.
There was a moment of silence, with only Madeleine making any noise. "So," Marcus said, "what now?"
"Well I don't think anyone wants to go back to bed," Rhianne said.
Terence walked out of the room. "I've got it covered." There was another moment of silence, then the walls slowly started retracting, revealing the rooms next to them. What appeared to be every room on their side of the hall did this.
Terence came back in. "We added this feature for large families that would come on trips so they could have connecting rooms. Does anyone mind sharing a bed?" Everyone shook their heads. "Good. This way everyone can be in the same room. The guards will be coming around any time now, and will be on high alert. Plus more guards are coming. I personally will keep watch outside. I'll also make sure that the master key that got stolen gets disabled. We added a feature which allows us to wipe them in case they are stolen. If any of you need anything, just ask me or call to the front desk downstairs." With that, he walked outside, shutting the door behind him.
Everyone was silent for a minute. "Well, I guess staying up isn't going to do us any good. Guys on one side, girls on another?" Everyone nodded or mumbled in agreement. "Then let's go ahead and try to get to bed.
"Madeleine, can you get up?" Mariana asked. Madeleine nodded, making her way to the bed. Everyone else started breaking off and going different directions. Azura made her way to the middle door, and leaned against it.
Leon walked over to her. "You going to keep guard as well."
"Partially. I will be sleeping here. There are more guys than girls anyway."
Leon sat down next to her. "You know, you did a great job, helping Madeleine."
Azura scowled. "I was with her going to the rooms. I should have heard him behind us."
Leon patted her head. "Hey, we're dealing with a pro. There's no way he would have let himself get caught by you. But now we know about him, so he'll have a harder time getting to us."
Azura nodded. "I wonder what the new contestants think about this."
"Well, Lili and Victor looked pretty shaken up," Leon said. "Jacob too, but not as much. I have no clue what Gimli thought, though. His face was perfectly unreadable."
Azura scowled. "He's a tricky one, that's for sure."
Leon nodded. "Then again, he did take the coffee test. Martin thinks he's an okay guy."
Azura sighed. "I guess I'm just a little on edge."
"We all are. Let's just try to get some rest, and we can deal with that guy tomorrow." He got up, and as he passed a couch, he stopped. Pulling all the cushions off, he pulled out another bed. "You can take this bed if you want it. I'm sure Terence has the security down." He walked off.
Azura sighed, and stayed against the wall for a bit. After a while, she got up, and looked everyone over. Most appeared to be asleep. At least Madeleine was. That was good. Mariana had an arm wrapped protectively around her. Azura couldn't help but smile a little. They were all competing against each other, but everyone seemed to be making such strong bonds. She stifled a yawn, and decided to take up Leon's offer. Crawling on the sofa bed, she laid down, and drifted off to sleep, thinking about the same thing about everyone else.
Who was that guy, and why was he attacking them?
So, sorry about the slightly underwhelming chapter. I've been traveling a lot lately, and haven't really had any chances to write. I wanted to start on the actual contests, but that didn't happen. So, what are your thoughts? Who could the guy be? Why did he go for Madeleine? When, if at all, will he strike again? Just for warning, I'm about to be gone the next two weeks, and will probably not be able to write during that time. I will try, and am super sorry I haven't been able to stick with my weekly update plan.